 | |
| Founded | 1970; 55 years ago (1970) inBerkeley, California |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ron Turner[1] |
| Headquarters location | San Francisco, California |
| Distribution | SCB Distributors[2] |
| Key people | Colin Turner[3][4] |
| Publication types | Books,graphic novels,comics |
| Nonfiction topics | Rock music,art,poetry |
| Fiction genres | Underground comix |
| Imprints | Hell Comics Cocoanut Comics Priaprism Press Sexploitation Comics Group |
| Official website | www |
Last Gasp is aSan Francisco–based[5]book publisher with alowbrow art andcounterculture focus.[6] Owned and operated byRon Turner, for most of its existence Last Gasp was a publisher,distributor, and wholesaler ofunderground comix[7] and books of all types.
Last Gasp was established in 1970. Although the company came onto the scene a bit later than some of the other underground publishers, Last Gasp continued publishing comics far longer than most of its competitors. In addition to publishing notable original titles likeSlow Death,Wimmen's Comix,Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, andWeirdo, it also picked up the publishing reins of important titles—such asZap Comix andYoung Lust—from rivals who had gone out of business.
Although Last Gasp no longer publishes "floppy" comics; the company continues to publish art and photography books,graphic novels, fiction, and poetry, producing 10–15 new titles per year.[4]
.jpg)
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Last Gasp Eco Funnies was founded inBerkeley, California, in 1970 bySan Francisco State University graduate student[8]Ronald E. Turner,[9][10][11] with the help ofGary Arlington,[3] to publish the ecologically-themed comics titleSlow Death Funnies (in conjunction with the firstEarth Day). Last Gasp followedSlow Death Funnies with the all-female anthologyIt Ain't Me, Babe,[3] spearheaded byTrina Robbins.
Last Gasp incorporated on September 11, 1971.[12] In the time period 1971–1973, Last Gasp publishedAir Pirates Funnies #1–2 and a number of otherAir Pirates-related titles, includingThe Tortoise and the Hare,Dopin' Dan #1–3, andMerton of the Movement. (Turner insists that he only served as an advisor to the Air Pirates collective, despite them crediting his company as "publisher.")[12] Considered to be an "enabler" of the Air Pirates infamousWalt Disney parodies, Turner's name was added to Disney's lawsuit against the collective. Turner quickly settled with Disney, but Air PiratesDan O'Neill,Bobby London, andTed Richards continued fighting, in a case that dragged on for years.[13]
The company's success withSlow Death andIt Ain't Me, Babe enabled Last Gasp to expand into distribution, in addition to publishing.[8] The company soon became a major part of theunderground comix movement. Sociopolitical themes were explored in Last Gasp series such asGuy Colwell'sInner City Romance (1972–1979), which portrayed gritty urban tales;Armageddon (1973), which focused onanarcho-capitalism;[14] andAnarchy Comics (1978), which focused onleft-wing politics. In addition to publishingWimmen's Comix for much of its run, Last Gasp published a number of other comix with feminist themes, includingIt Ain't Me, Babe,Tits & Clits Comix,Twisted Sisters #1, andGood Girls.
In 1972, Last Gasp publishedJustin Green's seminal autobiographical comicBinky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary.
Beginning in 1972, Last Gasp began publishing ongoing titles moving over from other companies; beginning withYoung Lust, and thenRand Holmes'Harold Hedd. In 1977, the company picked upJoyce Farmer andLyn Chevely'sTits & Clits Comix, publishing that series until 1987. Last Gasp published the final three issues ofSan Francisco Comic Book in 1980–1983, and the latter half ofZap Comix' run from 1982 to 2005.
Last Gasp also publishedWeirdo from 1981 to 1993, andCherry Poptart from 1982 to 1992.
In the early 1980s Last Gasp published some of the first books about the West Coastpunk rock scene, including a number of titles by Peter Belsito.
Last Gasp moved its headquarters from Berkeley to San Francisco in c. 1975.[citation needed] Starting in 1975, Ron Turner began hosting the annual "Burritos, Beer & Cheer" holiday party at the Last Gasp offices, which was also a fundraiser for theMartin de Porres House of Hospitality, a free soup kitchen located in San Francisco. Last Gasp hosted "Burritos, Beer & Cheer" for more than 30 years.[15]
In the period 2004–2010, Last Gasp published English-language compilations of popularmanga titles, includingFumiyo Kouno'sTown of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms;Junko Mizuno'sPure Trance; andKeiji Nakazawa'sBarefoot Gen.
In early December 2016, Last Gasp announced it was ending its comics distribution business to focus solely on book publishing. (As one of the last independent distributors, they handled comics distribution from more than 100 small comics publishers.) As a consequence, the company planned to lay off the bulk of its dozen employees by February 2017.[4]
Notable artists published by Last Gasp includeTim Biskup,Robert Crumb,Richard Corben,Ron English,Camille Rose Garcia,Justin Green,Bill Griffith, John Howard,Greg Irons, Shawna Kenney,Spain Rodriguez,Mark Ryden,Dori Seda,Larry Welz,Robert Williams, andS. Clay Wilson.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
